When did you start taking baths? I am 16 days out and can't wait to get into my bathtub! I took the grandkids to the pool yesterday and just sat on the side to keep cool!

I actually went and bought waterproof bandaids, they are large and kind of expensive, $10 for a box of 8, but they worked wonderfully! I don't like baths but I have a pool AND live in Texas so I simply couldn't stay out of it lol I at least waited till I was 9 days post op haha! anyway they seal all around and they have not leaked at all, no dampness on my incisions whatsoever. I just float around on my handy dandy water recliner (it keeps me mostly out of the water) and then get wet every now and then. No swimming though cause of the problems with internal healing. I just walk around a bit and float. I'm sure they would work for the bath tub!!

I was told six weeks, although I did cheat at abotu 4 weeks and took one that just has a few inches of water...

I guess that's something I never asked when I left the hospital, all they told me was to dry my incisions good after I took a shower. Maybe I should have...oops...I was swimming in my pool 2 weeks post op and I went swimming up north in the lake last weekend. My surgical tape is off and incisions are fully healed with no problems. Maybe I did too much too soon, but haven't had a problem.

Well, just like a swimming pool, there is going to be trace bacteria in the Water. If you have open sores, that is an easy entry point for that bacteria. So, you have to decide ... are your scars healed up well enough that soaking in water won't allow bacteria to easily enter my body? If they are, then go for it. If they are not, then wait until they are.

How can you tell if they are healed enough? The skin should at least be a nice tone of pink, with no red, across the entire scar.

When were you sleeved Erin?

I was cleared at 4 weeks for pools, 6 weeks for lakes, by my surgeon.

I was cleared by my surgeon @ 10 days post-op to get in my pool.

I was sleeved on June 19th

I was sleeved June 25th. My doctor said 2 weeks for pool, hot tub or bath tub. I went swimming for the first time yesterday (so 15 days). No problems, no pain, no drainage. My incisions look no different today than they did yesterday. I didn't use any type of bandage. My CNP did tell me that if I was worried because my incisions were getting wet from sweat (the horrible heat wave last week) or after the pool, I could swipe some hydrogen peroxide over them, which I've done 2 or 3 times now. But, again, every doctor is different.

For those of you interested. I took a bath last night!!! It was awesome, I just needed to get in there and warm up. Yes it has been 100+ degrees here but that makes my hubby turn the air down to 67. I have never been a cold type person, rather just the opposite, but since I have lost 39 lbs...I am freezing! So the bath was wonderful!